Street or roadway structure.



No. 880,312. PATENTED FEB. 25, 1908.

N. LAFOQN.

STREET 0R ROADWAY STRUCTURE. 'APPLIOATION rum HAYS. 1907.

nu: NORRIS tarsus cm, wAsuma'roN. n. c.

NATHANIEL LAFON, OF RED JACKET, WEST VIRGINIA.

STREET OR ROADWAY STRUCTURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1908.

Application filed May 6 1907. Serial No. 372.102.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL LAFON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Red Jacket, in the county of Mingo and State of WestVirginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Street or RoadwayStructures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the construction of street orroad surfaces, the object of the invention being to provide a novelconstruction by which a strong and durable road surface may be made at acomparatively low cost, and whereby the strains resulting from trafficand the settling of the road bed from the resultant pressure will beeffectually sustained in such a manner as to maintain the proper contourof the bed under all conditions of service.

A further object of the invention is to provide a framing constructionto sustain the paving material by which cheaper grades of beds may beemployed without impairing the strength and efficiency of the roadsurface.

The invention consists of the'features of construction, combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a top planview showing a section of a road surface constructed in accordance withmy invention, portions of such surface being disclosed in complete andincomplete form. Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the completeroad surface. Fig. 3 is a section taken longitudinally of the roadway,showing the longitudinal stringers in elevation and the transverse tiebars in cross section. Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of thecoupling blocks.-

I11 the present specific disclosure, 1 designates the earthen bed, uponwhich is arranged a basic layer 2 of broken stone or other suitablematerial, upon which is supported a finer layer 3, preferably of stone,and upon which in turn is laid a top layer 4 of sand or other suitablematerial designed to act as a cushion and bedding for the road surface5, herein shown as composed of blocks of vitrified brick, stone or wood.This construction of the bed and road surface is preferred in practiceon account of the strength and durability afforded thereby, but it will,of course, be understood that the bed structure may be modified asoccasion demands, and the road surface 5 may be of asphalt or any othersuitable material, either in block or sheet form. In order to increasethe durability of the body, cement may be employed in conjunction withthe sand and stone to produce a solid sub-structure.

In accordance with my invention, a bracing framework for the materialscomposing the road structure is provided, and comprises longitudinalstringers 6 arranged at or adjacent the sides of the road and disposedin parallel relation with each other and the central longitudinal lineof the road bed. These stringers are or may be of any suitable lengthand are connected at intervals, say, at eight or more feet apart, bytransverse tie bars 7 which pass through and are embedded in the bed orsub-structure. The stringers and tie bars are composed of channeled ironor steel, having their channeled faces respectively inwardly andupwardly directed. The channeled sides of the stringers receive theedges of the border bricks or blocks or material composing the roadsurface, and, as said stringers are effectually held from either inwardor outward movement by the tie bars, they operate, to effectually holdthe surface material in place and to take whatever thrust there may bedue to the settling of the central portions of the road, thus preventingany undue settling and maintaining to a large extent the intendedprimary shape of the road surface. The channels of the transverse tiebars 7, which are spaced in practice regular distances apart, receiveportions of the bed or sub-structure and are thereby bound from movementlongitudinally of the roadway, by which all the parts are tied andbraced to prevent any liability of shifting thereof, even under abnormalconditions, as by'the tendency of the parts of the road surface to beWashed away by floods or shifted by the action of frost.

Coupling devices or blocks 8 and 9 are provided for connecting thestringers and the rods at and between the junction points of thestringers with each other. These blocks are generally similar inconstruction, each consisting of a base 10 having a standard 11projecting from the outer end thereof and provided with an inwardlyprojecting hook or clip 12. The base portions of the blocks fit withinthe channels of the tie bars at the ends thereof and are fastenedthereto by rivets or other preferred fastening means passing throughopenings in the bars and standards 11 project upwardly on the outersides of the stringers, which have their lower 1 webs bearing on theupper faces of the bases 13 and their upper webs engaged by the hooks orclips 12, by which the stringers are additionally supported in positionand prevented from shifting vertically. The blocks 8 are arranged atsuitable distances apart and connect the tie bars with the stringers atpoints between the joints of the meeting ends of the latter. Byreference to Figs. 3 and 4 it will be seen that the standard 11 of eachblockS is provided with an inwardly extending lug or pin 14 which fitswithin an elongated opening 15 in the stringer, while the standard ofeach block 9 is provided with a pair of similar studs or pins 16 whichengage corresponding openings 17 in the ends of adjacent stringers, thuscoupling the strin ers together and simultaneously uniting t e same tothe adjacent end of the ad joinin side bar. -The elongated openings 15an parts to compensate for expansion and contraction.

By the provision of the bracing framework shown and described herein thebase or bed of the roadway may be composed of courses ofthe same ordifferent materials,

which may vary, as circumstances may-require, according to the estimatedcost of the roadway. Paved gutters 18 may be arranged outside of thestringers of the road bed proper where it is necessary, as in somesoils, to prevent the roadbed from being washed away or to facilitatethe drainage of rain water.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. In a road structure, a suitable base, a surface laid thereon,channeled stringers laid end to end and receiving and interlocking withthe side edges of the road surface, transverse ties extending throughthe bed in line with and between the junction ends of the stringers, andcouplings interlocking with and connecting the ties with the stringers{111d also connecting the junction ends of the atter.

17 permit relative movement of the 2. In a road structure, a bed, a roadsurface laid thereon, vertically arranged longitudinally extendingchanneled stringers laid end to end and receiving the side edges of theroad surface, transverse ties extending through the road bed, in linewith and between the junction points of the stringers and couplingsconnecting said ties with the stringers and said stringers with eachother at and between their junction points.

3. In a road structure, a suitable bed, a road surface laid thereon,longitudinal channeled stringers receiving the edges of the roadsurface, transverse ties extending through the bed, c'ouplin sconnecting certain of the ties with the a jacent ends of the stringers,and couplings connecting the other ties with the stringers between thejunction points of the latter.

4. In a road structure, a suitable bed, a surface thereon, channeledtransverse tie bars extending through the bed, channeled longitudinalstringers receiving the side edges of the bed, and cou lin blocks ormembers seated in the channe s o the tiebars and secured thereto andextending upwardly on the outer sides of the stringers and having clipsprojecting over the same.

5. In a road structure, a suitable base, a surface laid thereon, andaframing structure comprising opposite sets of 'longitudinal stays laidend to end and receiving and interlocking with the side edges of thesurface material, through the bed, said ties detachably connecting theopposite sets of stays at and between their junction points.

6. In a road structure,'a suitable bed, a surface laid thereon,longitudinal stays at the side edges of the road surface, receiving andinterlocking with the edges of the surface material, transverse metallicties extending through the bed for connecting the opposite sets of staysat and between their junction points, and couplings connecting the tieswith the respective stays and arranged to interlock with the stays tohold the same from independent vertical and longitudinal movement.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NATHANIEL LAFON. Witnesses B. B. TYREE, J. H. POWELL.

and transverse ties extending

